You've Done It Now!
by Ying-Fa-dono
Summary: Labyrinth/Harry Potter crossover. Draco was just sitting at home, minding his own buisness, the next thing he knows, he's battling goblins, evil-smelling bogs and very bossy Muggles. Can he beat the Labyrinth . . . backwards? R&R.
1. NO, GOYLE, NO!

**Ying-Fa: Hello again, people. Okay, this is something pretty new for me. First off, this is my very first crossover and it is also my first attempt at a humor piece. This just kind came into my head, completely random, not idea where it came from. Well, I wanted to give it a shot. Please, read, review, and tell me what you think, I implore you. Please do enjoy.**

Draco Malfoy sighed as he stared out the window of his family's manor home. August wasn't supposed to be this dreary and cold. He supposed that it couldn't be helped, now that the Dark Lord was out in the open once again and the dementors were given free reign over the country side.

Draco turned to see his two friends, Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle looking up at him from the sofas in his family's library. Draco and his friends were being given free reign of the house. His mother was out visiting with his aunt Bellatrix and his father . . . was in prison.

Draco scowled. _It's all Potter's fault,_ he thought bitterly. Only a few weeks ago, Draco's arch enemy at school, Harry Potter, had had Draco's father, Lucius Malfoy, imprisoned along with several other Death Eaters for breaking into the Ministry of Magic. Now Draco was bent on getting back at Potter when school got back in session. If only they could do something.

"Oi, Malfoy, whatcha thinkin'?" asked Goyle.

"I'm trying to think of the best way to get back at Potter for what he did to my father," said Draco, lightly.

"Oh," said Crabbe, looking mean and excited. "Whatcha gonna do?"

"I don't know," said Draco, walking over and sitting down on the couch next to Crabbe. "Whatever it is, I'll make sure it's good. Oh, what I'd give just to smash that little smart little face of his."

Crabbe chuckled stupidly. "Or Weasley. I'd like to have a go at him too. Wouldn't use magic though, I'd take him out with my bare hands."

"I'd like at that Mudblood!" said Goyle, meanly. "She's always being so smart."

"That won't last long, now that the Dark Lord's back," said Draco. "Mudbloods and blood traitors and Potter won't last long with him in charge."

"Do you think he'll help your dads outta Azkaban any time soon?" asked Goyle, looking from Crabbe to Draco.

Draco looked down. "Well, he ought to. I mean, he let my aunt and all the others out before, didn't he? He's probably just letting them stew in there for awhile because they failed to do whatever it was he'd assigned them to do." Draco's mood darkened at this thought.

"What are you gonna do about Potter?" asked Crabbe.

"No idea, just yet," said Draco. "Oh, but if I ever get a moment alone with him I'll make him pay. I'll make sure to get him somewhere that Dumbledore can't help him. I'll make sure of that."

Crabbe scratched his head, rumpling his pudding-bowl haircut. Then he punched his hand into his fat fist. "Hey! I know! Why don't you send Potter somewhere that Dumby can't reach him at all? Why not send him to another world?"

"What?" asked Draco, sneering.

Crabbe laughed. "It's just I remembered this story I'd heard once about these goblins from another world that take kids away."

"What are you on about?" Draco asked, annoyed.

"It's that you wish for something and they do it," said Crabbe. "Yeah. These goblins live in a huge maze and they take kids and stuff."

"That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard," said Draco, leaning back on the couch, lazily. "You know what goblins are like, Crabbe. They don't kidnap children just because someone asks them to. Where did you hear such a thing?"

"One of those old story books Mum read when I was little," said Crabbe.

Goyle chuckled. "Still, be neat though, wouldn't it? Just ask and someone who annoyed out would get taken away."

"Taken away and turned into a goblin," Crabbe added. "That's summat else what happens in the story too!"

"Turned into a goblin? Yuck!" said Draco, incredulously. "Who would do that?"

"I dunno," said Crabbe. "There's supposed to be like this Kingly person who does it."

"Well, whatever," said Draco, picking at his fingernails.

"Draco, do you got mail?" asked Goyle, pointing out the window.

Draco turned. There was a white, barn owl sitting on a tree branch outside the window. Draco stared at it closely. It seemed to be looking in on them as they talked.

"That's not our owl," he said, staring. "I wasn't expecting anything." He squinted at the owl, looking at its talons and beak. "Hm, I don't see a letter. It's probably just a stray."

At that very instant, the owl took off and flew away.

"See," said Draco, lying back against the couch. "It was nothing."

"Oh," said Goyle, stupidly.

"Man, what I wouldn't give to be able to wish people away so they can get turned into goblins," said Crabbe. "If I could I'd wish away all of Gryffindor house, if I could."

"Nah," said Goyle. "I'd want all of the Mudbloods in Hogwarts were gone, I would."

"Look, would you both just drop it," snapped Draco. "I don't wanna talk about these stupid, fake goblins taking people away. That kind of crap only exists in books. And seeing as I'm not entirely sure that either of you can read . . ."

"Hey, watch it!" snapped Crabbe.

"I can't help the fact that you're both dim," said Draco. "How many O.W.L.s did you get Crabbe? Three? And what about you Goyle? One?"

"Hey! Those examiners got it in for me," said Crabbe, darkly.

"Yeah sure," said Draco, lazily. "That's what happened."

"Well, how many did you get?" snapped Goyle.

"Seven, if you must know," said Draco.

"Well, that's only average," said Crabbe. "That's nothing to boast about."

"It's something to boast about compared to three and one," Draco shot back.

Crabbe opened his mouth to argue, couldn't think of anything to say, and closed it again. He thought for a moment then said, "Well, the Dark Lord's not gonna care about stupid school grades, now is he? It's all about loyalty."

"Yeah, loyalty," agreed Goyle.

"It's also about being useful," said Draco. "And it'll be hard to be useful when you can hardly stand a cauldron the right way up."

Goyle glared nastily at Draco for a moment. "You know what," he said, darkly. "I'm staring to wish the goblins would come and take _you_ away right now, Draco."

It happened in an instant. One moment, he was sitting in his parent's library with Crabbe and Goyle, then everything was swirling blackness. Draco stared around in horror. What was going on? What was happening to him? Where was he?

In an instant, everything came to. He was sitting in the middle of a round, stone room in a kind of tiny circle set into the floor. It was very dark. He couldn't see anything.

"C-Crabbe?" he called into the darkness. "Goyle?"

Suddenly, a loud cackling echoed through the walls.

"Crabbe? Goyle?"

The cackling grew louder. All around him, tiny glowing eyes appeared, leering down at him. The nasty, hysterical laughter ringing in his ears.

"W-Who's there?" Draco cried. "What's going on? Crabbe? Goyle?"

Suddenly, torches burst into life and flooded the room in light. The room he was in was full of strange, dark creatures. They were shrieking and giggling nastily at him, their faces grubby and distorted and they were wearing strange armor. But the most threatening thing in the entire room was the figure sitting in a strange chair right in front of him.

The man sitting in the chair had wild, spiky blonde hair that framed his sharp face. He wore a purple, leather jacket over a white poets shirt with a pair of black gloves and a golden amulet around his neck. His blue leggings were very tight and he wore long black boots. He was holding a riding crop in one hand and tapping it against the palm of his other hand as he grinned down at Draco with a kind of cold delight.

"Well, well, well," he said, slowly. "And just what do we have here?"

**Ying-Fa: Here it is! Oh, please tell me if this is any good! I love Harry Potter and Labyrinth so much and I **_**really**_** wanna do things right. Please, don't be bashful. Tell me what you think.**


	2. New Rules In Play, Game On

**Ying-Fa: Okay, second chapter. Come on people, don't be bashful. Read my story, you know you want to!**

Draco stared up at the man before him with apprehension and caution. Where was he? Just what on earth was going on here?

The man stood up from his seat and started to walk in circles around Draco, eyeing him critically and continuing to tap his riding crop against his palm.

"It would appear, my goblins, that we have been sent, for the very first time, a young wizard," he said. The strange, distorted creatures around him began to laugh and cackle. "A young wizard who is still in training, by the looks of him."

"Wh-what's going on?" asked Draco, turning around to keep the man within his sight. "Where am I? Who are you?"

"One question at a time, my good fellow," said the man, grinning at him. "But it is true that I've yet to properly introduce myself. My name is Jareth. I am the King of the Goblins and Lord of the Labyrinth. These are my goblins," he said, gesturing around to the ugly little creatures that were leering down at him.

Draco looked around. "N-No they're not," he said, his voice shaking a bit. "Look, buster, I know what goblins are and these aren't them!"

"Oh, they aren't?" said Jareth, coolly. "Of course they're goblins. You just don't think they are because they don't look like the goblins of your world."

"Huh?"

"Allow me to explain," said Jareth, smoothly. "The different worlds can use the same words for things that can be quite different. In your world, goblins are creatures that value treasures and are very skilled in making weapons and jewelry and the like. In this world, however, these are goblins," he gestured around at the little creatures around him.

Draco wasn't entirely sure he understood, but he wouldn't let the man think that he was stupid. "O-okay then," he said. "What's going on? Why am I here?"

"You're here," said Jareth. "Because it was wished that you were here."

"Huh?"

"It was wished that you would be taken away by the goblins," said Jareth, still walking around and around Draco like a vulture eyeing a carcass. "As Goblin King, it is my job to see that the call is heeded. So, here you are."

"What? But . . . but that's just . . . but I can't . . . I can't just . . . GREGORY GOYLE, I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!!" Draco screamed in fury and pounded his fists into the stone floor.

The goblins were laughing at him again. This time, Jareth laughed with them. His cold, crisp laughter was clearly audible above the shrieky giggles of the surrounding goblins.

Draco looked back up at Jareth, his face white and his eyes pleading. "Look, I . . . Listen, I . . . I can't stay here! I've gotta get home. My mum is going to wonder where I am! I can't be here! Don't listen to anything that Goyle says! He's an idiot, trust me. He didn't mean what he said, it was just a joke. He was just angry because I was having a laugh about how he'd failed all his O.W.L.s, honest! He didn't really mean to send me here! You've got the wrong guy!"

"What's said is said," said Jareth, flatly. "Your friend wished you away to me and so here you are."

"No!" cried Draco. "This is the most ludicrous thing I've ever endured! Of all the people he had to wish away. ME!"

"Well, perhaps you should have chosen your friends more wisely," said Jareth, sitting back down in his chair and rubbing his eyes with his thumb and index finger. "Well, now that you're here, just what am I going to do with you?"

Draco stared at him in horror. "You . . . you . . ." his voice sounded like that of a mouse. It was squeaky and pathetic sounding. "You're not . . . going to . . . turn me . . . into one of . . . THEM!?" he pointed frantically at the goblins that began to laugh yet again at his fear.

"No, no," said Jareth, waving his hand impatiently. "You're much too old to be turned into a goblin."

"Too old?"

"Only infants can be turned into goblins," said Jareth.

"Infants?" said Draco, looking disgusted. "You mean to tell me that _babies_ are sent here!?"

"It happens more often then you'd think," said Jareth. "But you're a teenage young man. Hm, what use could you possibly be to me?"

"What!?" Draco was completely affronted. "Now, you wait just one second, you fancy 80's glam rocker! I've go NO intention of being anybody's personal slave, got me?"

Jareth raised an eyebrow. "I can see that having you around the castle would be unbearably annoying," he said. "Ah, I hate the spoiled ones. Hm, let's see now. Too old to be a goblin, too annoying to remain here, so what am I to do with you?"

"You can start by letting me go!" said Draco, furiously.

Jareth's eyes suddenly widened. He looked at Draco and his face split in a grin that made the hairs on the back of Draco's arms stand up.

"Hm," he said, slowly. "Maybe there _is_ something I can do with you. What was your name, boy?"

"Draco Malfoy," snapped Draco.

"Draco, then," said Jareth, rising from his chair. "Come here, Draco. Let me show you something."

Draco stared warily around at the goblins, but then walked over to Jareth. Jareth grinned and pointed over to the window. "Look out there, Draco, and tell me what you see."

Draco glared at Jareth, but went over to the window regardless and looked around.

"Bloody hell!"

Down below was a little city of crooked little houses surrounded by a great stone wall. Beyond that was what looked like a glittering trash heap that went on for miles. Beyond that were what appeared to be an endless array of treetops. On and on it went and Draco couldn't even see the end of it all as he gazed out at the amazing creation he was in.

"What do you think of my Labyrinth?" asked Jareth, grinning at Draco, amused by his reaction.

"L-Labyrinth?"

"Certainly," said Jareth. "You see, sometimes people regret their reckless words and try to reclaim the ones they've wished away."

Draco stared hopefully at Jareth. Jareth smiled and walked over to Draco, putting an arm around his shoulders and gazing out fondly at the Labyrinth. "At times like these, I let them run the Labyrinth. If, at the end of the allotted time, they reach the castle, then they are able to take back the one they've wished away. However, if they fail, the wished away then becomes one of us forever."

Draco gulped. "So, so Goyle has to make his way through that to come and find me?"

"He could," said Jareth. He raised his hand and a small crystal ball appeared in his palm. "I haven't asked him if he wanted to try yet. What do you think? Is he up to the task?"

Jareth handed the crystal to Draco. Draco eyed it apprehensively, but then took it and looked into it. Within its depths he could see Crabbe and Goyle. They were running around and around in circles, pulling at their hair and clearly screaming in utter horror at what Goyle had done.

"No, I daresay he isn't," said Draco, handing the crystal back to Jareth, looking disgusted. Jareth grinned.

"Well, you're old enough to know what you want," said Jareth. "And you've made it clear to me that you would very much like to return to your own world. So, I'll make you a very special offer. The first of its kind, I'd say."

"What kind of offer?" said Draco, looking anxiously up at him.

"I'm going to give you the chance to run the Labyrinth yourself," said Jareth.

"What?" said Draco. "I thought you said the objective was to get to the castle. I'm already here!"

"I know that," said Jareth, a sudden harshness in his gaze. Draco shut up at once. He could now see that this man had mismatched eyes. One pupil was more dilated than the other. "Please, wait until I'm finished before you start sniping at me."

Draco bit his lip. By now, it was clear to him that this man was someone who was very powerful and magical. His father had always taught him to respect power. Also, he'd seen him do magic. No Muggle could have made that crystal appear out of thin air and show him his friends, now could it?

"Seeing as this is the first case of its kind," said Jareth. "A few things will need to be changed. Instead of starting at the entrance and making your way to the castle, you'll be starting and that castle and trying to find your way out."

Draco looked back at the large maze stretched out before him. But then he coughed and said, "Well that shouldn't be so difficult. It's not all that far."

Jareth grinned nastily. "It's further than you think. And you do have only a limited time in which to solve it." He pointed over to a clock hanging on the wall. Draco looked over at it. It looked rather normal, except for the fact at the numbers went from one to thirteen, rather than twelve.

"You'll have thirteen hours," said Jareth. "If you manage to solve the Labyrinth in that time, then you are free to go."

"Really?" said Draco. "Well, that shouldn't be so hard." He reached into his pocket and touched his wand. He had magic on his side. "I might not even need thirteen hours before I'm through with this maze thing."

"Oh," said Jareth, brightly. "But there's still one more rule that I haven't mentioned yet."

Draco raised his eyebrows. "There's _more?_"

"Yes, more," said Jareth. "Whilst you are inside the Labyrinth, you may not use any magic to help you solve it."

There was a slight pause.

"WHAT!?" Draco roared. "NO MAGIC!? Are you crazy?"

"I should like to think that I'm not," said Jareth, smoothly. "And to make sure that you keep to that rule," he waved his hand in the air. In an instant, Draco felt his wand vanish from inside his pocket and appear, instantly, in Jareth's outstretched hand.

"Hey!" Draco shrieked. "My wand! Give it back! Give it back!"

"Give it back, give it back, ha ha ha ha ha ha!" cackled the goblins, delighted by Draco's dilemma.

"Quiet!" Jareth snapped at the goblins, and they quieted down at once. He then turned his attention back to Draco. "I'll not be giving this back. I'll keep it here with me. If you find your way out of the Labyrinth within the allotted thirteen hours, you may have it back. If not, then it becomes my new toy. We can't have any cheating, now can we?"

"This is utterly and completely not fair!" Draco whined. For some reason Jareth looked extremely amused by this. He sat back down in his throne and started twirling Draco's wand between his leather-clad fingers.

"The issue of fairness is one of the many things that you quickly learn about while you're in the Labyrinth. You have thirteen hours and not a second more. If you can't solve the Labyrinth within that time, I will have no choice but to seal off the entrance from you entirely and you will be doomed to stay here, wandering the Labyrinth, for eternity. Thirteen hours, Draco. I suggest you get started."

Draco stared at Jareth, looking horrified. "How many people have tried this?" he asked, tentatively.

"I've lost count over the many years," said Jareth, simply. "But I daresay there have been quite a few."

"And how many people have actually beaten it?" Draco asked.

Jareth's mismatched eyes darkened suddenly.

"One," he replied.

"JUST ONE!" Draco screamed. "One! Hundreds of thousands of people have been here and only one person ever got out! That can't be true! You're pulling my leg, aren't you?"

"Alright, now you really only have 12 hours, 59 minutes, and 45 seconds," said Jareth, looking over at the clock on the wall.

With a cry of surprise, Draco turned around and bolted out of the throne room. Jareth watched him go, smirking with delight.

"Ah yes, it has been a long time since I've been able to have fun like this. Ah, I really do so hate the spoiled ones."

**Ying-Fa: Okie dokie, tell me what you think. By the way, Draco's 'glam rocker' comment was simply a statement about Jareth's clothes. Draco does not know David Bowie. Leave me reviews!**


	3. Some Start

**Ying-Fa: Yay! More readers! Oh, please continue to update and be nice to me. Sorry for the wait.**

Draco walked through the Goblin City, trying to ignore the leering faces of the goblins as they watched him pass by their houses. As he walked, windows would close and doors would shut. Draco scowled at all of them. He longed to curse every single one of them, but he didn't have his wand.

As he wandered by another goblin house, he heard the female goblin inside click her tongue disapprovingly at him as she shut her window on him. Angry, worried, confused, and unhappy about being disrespected by these foul creatures, Draco picked up a rock and threw it at the goblin's window where it bounced off the shutters with a loud 'snap'.

"Try showing a little respect, you lousy band of lizards!" Draco shouted. But he instantly regretted this. In the next second, the windows all burst open and the goblins inside suddenly started throwing all sorts of food, and even live chickens, down at him.

"Oh ho! Who deserves the respect now, sucker?"

"Teach you to yell at us, yes this will!"

"Your mother is a lizard!"

Draco sprinted. Running through the city, he ducked to avoid the endless shower of food and chickens. It was like having an entire array of poltergeists attacking you at once. Draco hurried towards the gates, picking chicken feathers out of his hair and growling in fury at the cackles of laughter that followed him from every house in the city.

"IF I HAD MY WAND YOU'D ALL BE COCKROACHES BY NOW!" Draco screamed at them as a chicken landed on his head and laid an egg that splattered all over his shoulder. The goblins only laughed harder at that.

"What kind of a threat includes 'if'!?"

"Beat it, sucker, or we'll call the brute squad!"

"Your mother is a cockroach!"

Draco marched out of the reach of the goblin's attacks, fuming.

"This place is _hell!_" Draco scowled, whipping egg off his cloak. "Goyle, you are a dead man!"

He found the gates before too long. Two large, heavy doors that he knew he would never get open by himself without magic. Now what was he supposed to do?

"Hey!" Draco yelled to nobody in particular. "Hey! Hey, open up! Open the gates!"

Nothing happened other than a few more windows opening up so that the goblins inside could stick out their tongues and make loud raspberry noises at him.

"Open the gates, you buffoons!" Draco yelled again. "I've gotta get out of here!"

Again, nothing other than a few more raspberries happened.

"LET ME OUT!" roared Draco. The then kicked at the large gates, hurting his big toe in the process and started talking to the doors themselves, like you sometimes had to do at Hogwarts.

"Open up!" he shouted. "Open up! Oooooopen up! Open! Oooooopen! Open, gates! Open, doorway! Open sesami! OPEN THE DOOR, YOU FILTHY PIECES OF . . ."

Suddenly, the doors pulled slowly open. Draco blinked in surprise, then shrugged. "Oh well, at least they're open now." He walked through and, to his complete dismay, there was another door and this one was surrounded by spikes. "No! Urg, what is that stupid Goblin King's problem? Does he . . .?" but before Draco could say anything derogatory towards Jareth, the doors behind him swung shut to reveal . . .

"WHO GOES?"

Draco stared up in utter horror at an enormous, metal goblin with spiky teeth and fierce red eyes. It must be some sort of guardian. Draco back away, almost walking right into the spikes around the second door.

"I . . . I don't want any trouble!" said Draco, his voice coming out panic-stricken. "I . . . I'm just trying to get out! I don't wanna go in."

The metal beast roared, then reached out its hand and grabbed Draco around the waist. He screamed bloody murder and tried to escape before the metal beast reached back and threw him over the second wall. Draco yelled in terror as he flew through the air like a softball and landed on the other side of the all onto a heap of rubbish.

/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/

Jareth couldn't help but laugh along with his goblins as he watched Draco land in the Yard of Shattered Dreams. This was going to be too easy. The little twerp was perhaps the most hopeless person ever to run the Labyrinth.

"At this rate, he'll never find the exit," said Jareth. "But I'll enjoy watching him try. Ah, I'm going to like watching his progress. Though, if he keeps throwing rocks at my goblins, I'll just have to wring his neck and be done with him."

"Your Highness! Your Highness!"

A little, bearded goblin came running into the throne room. He bowed low to Jareth and then began to talk.

"Your Highness, the Yard!'

"What?" asked Jareth, calmly.

"The Yard of Shattered Dreams, sir!"

"What of it?"

"There's a human in it!"

"I know there's a human in it!" Jareth snapped. "He's supposed to be there."

"No, your Highness, more than one human. Two humans!"

"What?" said Jareth, checking his crystal again. His heart suddenly dropped.

"It can't be."

/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/

It took Draco awhile to free himself from the debris he'd fallen in. Growling and cursing, he managed to stand up. He looked around and saw that he was surrounded by all sorts of rubbish and junk that went on and on as far as he could see. Everything was covered in glittering cobwebs and he cursed his luck yet again.

"This is misery," he mumbled, trying to navigate his way through the junk. "Oh, I'm going to die here, aren't I? Goyle, you . . ."

"Gah! Get off my back!"

Draco shrieked as the pile of objects he'd just stepped on moved and shouted in protest. To Draco's horror, a wrinkly and wispy-looking old woman stared up at him from under a huge pile of junk. Her pale eyes glared at him dolefully.

"Why don't you pay more attention to where you're stepping, young man, hm?" she said in an old, crone's voice.  
Draco scowled. "I was paying attention," he snapped. "It's your fault for hiding under all this rubbish, isn't it? It's like you're asking to be stepped on!"

"Huh?!" the old woman looked very affronted. "Wha! Well, aren't you just a little brat! And this ain't rubbish!" she added, shaking her pile of junk at him.

"Sure looks like it to me," snapped Draco. "Now get out of my way, crone! I've gotta get out of this stupid maze thing!"

"Get out?" squawked the Junk Lady. "Get out, you say? But you're already out!"

"What?" said Draco.

"Why'd out wanna get out when you were never in?" asked the Junk Lady.

"What are you talking about?" snapped Draco. "Listen, I don't need a mad old turtle telling me nonsense, okay?"

"Nonsense?" said the Junk Lady. "Why, what's nonsense about the common sense?"

"What?"

"Just look in here," said the Junk Lady, gesturing to a curtain amidst yet another pile of junk. "Why don't you come in here and see what's nonsense and what isn't, eh? Hee hee hee hee hee!"

Draco blinked at her as she pulled the curtain back for him. He was in half a mind to tell her where to shove it, but his curiosity got the best of him. He ducked under the curtain and gasped aloud.

It was his bedroom. Just the way he'd left it. Decorated in the Slytherin colors of green and sliver with his four poster bed, his posters of his favorite Quidditch teams, all of his books about the Dark Arts stacked neatly onto the bookshelf, his room had never looked so inviting. With a small cry of joy, he ran inside and buried his face in his pillow. It even smelled the same. This was perfect. Now, if he could just go to sleep, he'd wake up and this whole, stupid experience was just a stupid dream and find that he'd never been there after all. Yeah, that sounded good.

Draco relaxed on his bed, still convincing himself that what had happened before with the King and the maze and the stupid lizard goblins was all just one of the worst dreams he'd ever had, and he heard a scraping noise outside the window. It was probably just a tree branch. Draco ignored it. But the noise suddenly grew louder and louder.

"Hello? Hello in there! Hey! Wake up!"

Draco lifted his pillow and covered his head in it.

"What are you doing, you idiot!? You've got a Labyrinth to run!"

Labyrinth? That sounded familiar. Too familiar. OH CRAP!

Draco was suddenly wide awake. He sat up and looked around. All he could see was his room, his belongings, everything that made sense. That is, of course, until the wall started to crumble.

"AAAAAAAHHHHH!"

Draco shrieked as his entire room came crashing down on him. The ceiling fell in and in minutes he was covered in debris. He struggled, trying to free himself, when a hand suddenly grasped his. The hand tugged at his own and, after a moment, freed him.

He looked around. He was still in the rubbish heap he'd been in earlier. He looked around at the person who had helped him. A girl was standing next to him, with long black hair and green eyes.

"Are you alright?" Sarah asked.

**Ying-Fa: Okay, people, tell me what you think. Ah, this is just so satisfying. I hate Draco on principle (no offense to Draco-lovers out there) so I like torturing him. Okay, leave me reviews and I'll be back sooner. I'm starting work, so it's hard to find time to write. (mumble grumble) Read the books, AmericanWoman, they're the best!**


	4. Too Much Pride Can Kill A Man

**Ying-Fa: Don't be shy, you know you wanna review! They get me going and help me right more. If I don't get enough . . . my story might just . . . never get completed.**

**Nagini-chan: Spare us already.**

**Ying-Fa: Alright! Okay, here's the next chapter. FYI: Both Draco and Sarah are sixteen years of age in this story.**

Draco stared at his savior. It didn't take him long to realize just what he was dealing with. It was clear from just looking at this girl that there was nothing magical about her. It wasn't at all like when he'd first encountered Jareth. Draco could tell right away that he'd been very magical, but this girl was completely lacking in any magical skill whatsoever.

"Are you alright?" she repeated, looking him over critically.

Draco scowled and straightened his shirt. "I'm fine," he snapped, harshly.

She looked relieved. "Oh, good," she said. "I was worried. The Junk Ladies can be a little . . . scary at times. I hope you didn't lose very much time."

"I'm losing a lot more talking to you," said Draco, rudely. "Could you get out of my way? I've got to set out."

Sarah was very taken aback by Draco's behavior. Then she raised her eyebrow and lifted her chin indignantly. "Fine, I'll leave you to it then," she said.

"Fine," said Draco, and he set out to navigate through the rest of the junkyard.

"Hey! Hey, wait!" Sarah called after him.

"Whatever happened to leaving me to it?" Draco asked, coldly.

"You're going the wrong way," said Sarah, pointing in the direction that Draco just went. "The castle is over there."

"I know the castle is over there," snapped Draco. "The castle isn't where I'm headed. I'm going in the opposite direction. I don't need you to waste more of my time."

"What?" said Sarah, confused. "Why are you going away from the castle? Aren't you trying to get back someone you wished away?"

"No," said Draco, his temper reaching its end. "I'm the one who got wished away and I'm trying to win back my freedom. It would be a lot easier if you didn't keep wasting my time asking me stupid questions."

Draco turned his back on Sarah, who put her hands on her hips as he walked. But instead of letting him go his own way, she followed him.

"But why?" Sarah asked, trying to keep up with him while navigating through the junk. "Why would the Goblin King let you go if you were wished away? That's not part of the rules. I didn't know he could do that."

"Judging from the sight of you, there are a lot of things you don't know about," snapped Draco. "Why would he talk to you, anyway? Who are you, anyway?"

"My name is Sarah Williams," said Sarah. "And I'm . . ."

"Williams, then," said Draco. "Do you mind leaving me alone? I've only got a thirteen hours and no magic to help me so I'd like to be left to my task, if you don't mind."

Sarah put her hands on her hips. "Well, if that's the way you're gonna be, you can solve this thing without my help."

"Your help?" said Draco, his lip curling. "You wanna help me?"

"That had been my intention when I came here," said Sarah.

"Just what kind of help would you be?" snapped Draco. "You're nothing but a hindrance so far, with all these stupid questions."

"Oh, so I suppose that you just got out of the Junk Lady's trap all on your own then," said Sarah, her voice rising.

Draco shrugged. "Forget it. I'm off. Don't bother following me anymore."

Sarah huffed angrily. "Fine, I won't bother." She turned to walk away but she spun around quickly and called after him. "Oh! There's something you should know. Whatever you do, don't call the Labyrinth . . ."

But at that next second, Draco's foot slipped on a stray bear and with a shriek, he toppled out of sight.

" . . . a piece of cake," Sarah finished, rather lamely.

/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/

Jareth tapped his chin thoughtfully as he watched Draco through his crystal. "He'll be entering the forest soon," he said. At once, the surrounding goblins began hooting and cackling with glee.

"Shut up!" Jareth snapped, and they desisted at once. He turned to look over at the clock. "Hm, he's making slow time. He's already lost two hours. There's no way he'll be able to cross the forest in less than five. It'll take even longer than that once he reaches the hedges."

"But there is a problem!" squeaked a goblin. "What are we gonna do about the girl?"

"Well, there isn't anything that can be done," said Jareth, with a sigh. "Nothing _I_ can do, anyway. Sarah's been crystal clear about that, no pun intended. But our guest is, without a doubt, a very vain young man. He is one of those wizards who believe that those without magic are very beneath him, if not completely unworthy of notice altogether. He's seen that Sarah possesses no magic of her own. He'll spurn any help she offers him. Such is his nature."

"But what about the girl herself?" asked another goblin. "What are you gonna do about her?"

"Let her do whatever she likes," said Jareth, turning his attention back to the crystal. "Chances are, she's no match for Draco's pride." Jareth grinned nastily. "He'll give up before too long."

"You think he'll give up?" asked a goblin.

"Certainly," said Jareth, his grin becoming more and more pronounced by the minute. "After facing all that the forest has in store for him, he'll soon give up merely out of frustration."

Jareth laughed darkly at this. Then he frowned and glared at the surrounding goblins. "Well?"

The goblins burst once more into fits of laughter. This time, Jareth joined them.

/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/

Growling and cursing, Draco stood up off the ground, whipping sparkling soil off his pants and shirt. He glared up at the mountain of trash he's fallen down then looked around at where he was now. He was in a forest, not unlike the Forbidden Forest at Hogwarts.

He shuddered. He'd been in the Forbidden Forest once before, in his first year. After having a laugh and making Longbottom nearly wet himself, the oaf of a gamekeeper had sent him off with Potter to search for a dead unicorn. When they'd finally found the thing, another creature had come along and had starting _feasting_ off it. After that, he'd run off for the oaf, leaving Potter with the other thing. Where there things like that here, in this forest? Was this Labyrinth place just going to kill him?

Draco shook his head. He was better than Potter that was obvious. He'd just have to keep going. There was no way he'd let this stupid place beat him. He walked on and on into the great forest. He would be fine. It was no problem. This was a piece of . . .

But then the most horrible and unholy sight he'd ever seen reached his eyes . . . and his nostrils.

**Ying-Fa: Little cliffy here. So, tell me what you think! I'm gonna like this next chapter. And you are to! (big commercial grin and cheeky wink)**

**Nagini: You're a retard.**


	5. Give Up

**Ying-Fa: Okay, okay, you win. I'm DESPREATE for reviews! Please, PLEASE! Tell me what you think.**

Draco was standing at the bank of the most disgusting smelling swamp he'd ever come in contact with. It reeked of bad eggs, rotten fish, body odor, stinky feet, wet dog, old dumpsters, smelly garbage, the public bathrooms that nobody seems to clean, and all other matter of rancid things that offended the sense of smell.

Draco raised both hands to his nose to save them from the horrible smell coming from the gurgling, murky substance that filled the swamp. "Oh, you have got to be KIDDING ME!" he yelled, his voice muffled because of his plugged nose. "I've got to cross THIS?!"

The water gurgled threateningly and bubbled sluggishly and sickeningly in reply.

"Oh, that does it!" said Draco, throwing himself onto the ground in dismay. "This is it! This is the final straw! There's no way in all hell that I'm going to cross this pool of stink and that is final! I'm done!" he yelled, throwing his hands in the air in disarray. "I'm finished! I'm not going any further! I quit! Do you hear me, you glam rocker sadist!? I QUIT!"

"You _can't_ be serious!"

Draco spun around. Sarah was right behind him, her hands on her hips and her face pulled down in a scowl.

"You aren't seriously giving up, are you?" she snapped at him.

"Will you stop following me!?" Draco roared. "You said you were gonna leave me alone, try sticking to it! I don't need stupid Muggles like you to add to my misery, okay?"

"What did you call me?" said Sarah.

"You heard," hissed Draco. But then he groaned and covered his face in his hands. "Oh! What am I gonna do now!? I'll never get out of here! Oh, poor Mother! She'll be terrified when she finds out I'm gone forever. What if Father comes home and I'm not there. What'll happen to Crabbe and Goyle? How will they have a chance of passing their O.W.L.s without me there? But then again, this is kinda their fault . . . . And I never got to pay Potter back for what he did to my father! I never got to finish school! I never got to join the Death Eaters . . .!"

"What's the Death Eaters?" asked Sarah. "Is that some kind of band?"

"WHY ARE YOU STILL HERE!?"

"Because I'm not going to let you just give up over some silly little thing like the Bog of Eternal Stench," snapped Sarah.

Draco stared at her. _What is it about this girl?_ He thought. _There's something about her persistent and demanding manner that __**reminds**__ me of someone. That annoyingly superior attitude and need to show off and help other people that just makes me want to hex her into oblivion. She's like . . . she's like . . ._

_ARGH!_ Draco screamed mentally. _She's just like __**HIM!**_

Far, far away from the Underground, at that precise moment, Harry Potter sneezed.

"Okay, come on," snapped Sarah, reaching down and tugging on Draco's sleeve. "You have to get across so that you can keep going on your way."

"LEAVE ME ALONE!" roared Draco. "There's no way I'm swimming across that stinkpot, alright?"

"I'm not asking you to swim across," Sarah said curtly. "Now if you start treating me with a little respect, I just might show you how to get across without falling in."

"Can't I just walk around?" whined Draco.

"No, that'll take a lot longer," said Sarah.

Sarah yanked on Draco's sleeve and pulled him over to where several stones sat perched in the water. The perfect distances apart so that they could be walked on to avoid the disgusting substance and get to a small patch of land that leads to a large wall.

"Just hop across the stones and climb up the wall and you'll get to the other half of the forest," Sarah told him.

Draco scowled. He hated this girl knowing more than he did. "Whatever," he snapped. "Okay, you've helped me. Will you leave me alone now?"

Sarah folded her arms and tapped her foot. "You're welcome," she said, irritably. "Don't mention it really I was glad to do it. Don't worry I'll be fine on my own from here on out as well."

"I don't appreciate the sarcasm, Muggle," snapped Draco as he hopped onto the first stone.

"Just don't fall in," Sarah said bitterly as she turned around to leave. "If you fall in you'll smell bad for the rest of your life. That's why it's called the Bog of Eternal Stench."

"Tell someone who cares," hissed Draco.

"I thought I was," huffed Sarah, and she stormed off. "So rude," she said quietly to herself. "Still, I've gotta admit, he's creative. Glam rocker sadist, huh? I wonder if he's said that to his face . . ."

Draco scowled after her and then began to hop from stone to stone, careful to stay balanced and avoid stepping in the evil-smelling sludge beneath him. It was starting to become difficult to breathe. He pinched his nose and breathed heavily through his mouth.

"Never again," he swore under his breath. "Never, ever, EVER again! This is the worst . . ."

"STOP!"

Draco reached the small patch of safe land across the stones when a voice called out to him. Then, a small creature resembling a fox dressed as a jester jumped out at him and waving a short staff at him. "Stop, I say!" he said.

Draco stared at the weird little thing standing before him. "Get out of my way," Draco snapped.

"Without my permission, nobody may cross," said Sir Didymus, sharply.

"Does it look like I care?" hissed Draco. "I've got to get out of this wretched stench!"

"Stench? Of what speaketh thou?" asked Didymus.

"Are you touched in the head or something?" Draco bellowed at the creature. "This awful, bleeding stink that hangs around in this forsaken place!"

Didymus sniffed the air. "I smell nothing," he said simply. "As a knight, I live by my sense of smell and I detect no foul scent in the air _and none may pass without my permission!_"

"Enough of this," snarled Draco and he tried to walk around Didymus. The little knight, however, was having none of that.

"I warn thee!" bellowed Didymus. "I am sworn to do my duty!" and he whacked Draco's shin with the staff.

"Ouch!" Draco whined, hopping on his uninjured leg. "Why, you lousy little . . ."

"Hold!" cried Didymus, swinging wildly at Draco, determined to hit any bit of him he could find.

"You stupid . . ." Draco was so angry he couldn't even figure out a good insult. He grabbed Didymus by the scruff of his neck and threw him bodily away. But in an instant, the little fox jumped right back into action and continued to whack at Draco's legs and lower back with increasing rage.

"Get . . . off . . . me!" Draco yelled trying to kick Didymus, but only ending up kicking the tree and stubbing his toe. He cried out and started hobbling away from the creature, towards the large stone wall at the other end of the Bog.

"That's right!" said Didymus, triumphantly. "Flee, you scurvy cur! And never again shall you trespass upon the lands of the brave Sir Didymus, ha ha ha!"

"Oh, SHUT UP!" bellowed Draco; rubbing the placed Didymus had hit him. "Stupid, lousy, moronic GOYLE!! You're going to pay for this! And you'll not get off much easier you Fancy-Glittery-ness!"

"Fancy-Glittery-ness?" said Didymus, who had overheard Draco's complaint. "Hm, I wonder if he's said that to his face . . ."

Draco grumbled and pinched his nose. Now that the pain was subsiding, the reek of the Bog had returned in full measure. Regardless of his dislike for the annoying Muggle girl, he still took her advice and did everything he could to stay on the narrow, dirt path, and not step into the evil-smelling Bog water. He reached the wall and looked up at it. It was pretty far. If only he had a broom . . .

Draco examined the stones. They looked like they could be climbed up. Taking his hand away from his nose and breathing heavily through his mouth, he started to climb up.

But . . .

"AH!"

He had just barely climbed a foot up the wall when a stone he'd grabbed onto came loose and fell off the wall. He was then left dangling onto another stone that was the only thing saving him from the Bog below.

"I quit!" Draco sobbed. "I mean it this time! I give up! I quit! I quit! I QUIT!"

The Bog gurgled beneath him. "I don't wanna go anymore," cried Draco. "I can't do this. This is for those idiot Gryffindor people, not smarter people like me!"

In that instant, a rope fell right in front of Draco. He looked up, but there was nobody holding the other end. Making sure that he was secure, he grabbed the rope and tugged. It was firm. Leaving his chances with fate, he took hold of the rope with both hands and climbed up to the top of the wall.

Draco stood on the solid ground, feeling dazed. The rope, he now saw, was tied to the battlements around the wall. It seemed someone had forgotten it there.

"Heh," said Draco. Then he began to laugh. More from relief than anything else.

"Ha! Take that, your Goblin-ness! Let's see Potter and his lackeys do that! See? I can do it! I can do it without any kind of help! (A/N: you DID get help) I can do anything! I am unconquerable! I can do this after all! THIS PLACE IS A PIECE OF CAKE!"

The instant the words had left Draco's mouth, he toppled over the battlements on the other side of the wall and plunged, headfirst, into the trees below.

**Ying-Fa: Ha. This one was fun. Okay, don't be shy, talk to me! For those who are troubling their little heads over Sarah's being there, it will be explained later. Seriously, much, much later! But it will happen!**

**There's an old saying that you sneeze if somebody far away is thinking about you. He brought him up before, but that's the first time Draco has actually thought about Harry.**


	6. Draco Chillies Down

**Ying-Fa: Urg. It's getting hard to find time to write. What with work, school just around the corner, another story bouncing around in my brain. Sheesh. But, I swear I will finish this first. So, without any further ado whatsoever, here's the next chapter.**

"Hey! Hey, Boss! Why'd you send down the rope, Boss?"

"Because he'd have fallen in otherwise," said Jareth, gazing at Draco's crumpled form through his crystal. "He's annoying enough as it is, you see. If he's going to hang around in the labyrinth for all eternity, he might as well smell decently."

"Oh," said the little goblin who asked the question. "Right, Boss."

"That's fiery territory he's in now," said another goblin, looking over Jareth's shoulder. "Oh, ho! I can't wait for him to meet them. They're gonna have a field day with him."

The entire room filled with nasty goblin laughter. Jareth grinned to himself.

_I've been waiting for this part,_ he thought. _Perhaps now we shall see just how far he will go to get his way. With luck, I may just get to have a little fun with him myself before his time is up._

/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/

Draco trumped through the thick forest of trees he'd fallen into. His arms, legs, and back all ached from where they'd hit branches and twigs as he fell from the wall. He was walking briskly through the leaf-strewn floor and mumbling things under his breath.

"I hate nature," he said over and over again, staring down at his new shoes and good clothes that were now covered in dirt, scratches, tears, leaves, and other bits of nature. "I hate nature. I really hate nature!"

Because he was so worried over the state of his clothes, he walked right into a large tree that would have been clearly visible if he'd been watching where he was going. After blinking enough so that the stars disappeared from inside his head, he muttered, "And trees! I really, really hate trees!"

Then, out of nowhere, an odd tapping noise filled the air. Draco spun around, wary and wondering what could possibly come next.

"Who's there?" he asked. "What's going on here? Show yourself!"

He immediately regretted this. All at once, five tall, gangling creatures jumped out at him, laughing hysterically. They all had fur that was brilliant shades of red, orange and yellow. Long, beak-like mouths stretched from out of their faces and bulging eyes. They were all laughing insanely and one of them was tapping to sticks together, starting a rhythm to a strange music that seemed to come out of nowhere.

"G-get away from me!" Draco demanded, trying to escape.

"Get away!" laughed one of the creatures. "But we're just getting started!"

"Yeah, man," said another. "We just like to have a good time!"

"Good times, bad food!" said another, and they all laughed at that as if it was the most hilarious thing they'd ever heard in all their lives.

"That's right," said a fourth creature, scraping its finger against the ground. It lit on fire at once and used it to light an enormous bonfire that flooded the wood with glowing light.

"What are you?" Draco asked at the crazy creatures.

"THE FIRE GANG!" they all chanted at once then the started to sing. _"__**Chilly down with the fire gang! Think small with the fire gang! Bang heads with the fire gang! When everything gets wild, chilly down, chilly down!**__"_

Draco tried to run, but there was no escaping the things. They jumped in his way, pulled at his arms, and stopped his every attempt to get away.

"Hey, buddy!" one of them called. "Wanna test your luck?" And, to Draco's horror, he stuck two fingers into both his eyes and pulled them out. The creature shook the eyeballs and tossed them onto the ground. The others gathered around and watched as the eyeballs rolled one ground and landed so that the pupils where staring up at them all.

"Snake eyes!" they cried, then the eyeless creature tossed the eyes back into their sockets, blinked, and they returned, good as new.

"Watch this, buddy!" they cried and, to Draco even greater horror, they started pulling on another's limbs, even heads, off and started tossing them around.

"Come on, buddy, it's fun!" cried one head, as it flew past him and landed on its respective body.

"Leave me alone!" Draco yelled. "Go away! Get away from me!"

"Play the game, buddy!" they yelled and they threw themselves at him. They were all yanking on him. Two pulling at his legs, two at his arms, and one yanking on his head.

"Hey, man," whined the one trying to behead him. "His head ain't coming off!"

"These arms ain't coming off either," yelled one of the arm-yankers.

"OF COURSE THEY DON'T!" roared Draco, trying to free himself. "Let me go you big, ugly, stinking buffoons!"

"You can't quit," said a creature yanking on his foot. "The games only just started."

The creatures pulled and pulled at him. There was no way to get out. He was going to be drawn and quartered if they kept this up. His neck and joints were already starting to protest this absurd pulling.

"What . . . is . . . with . . . this . . . head!?" asked the creature, pulling at his neck with renewed effort at every word he said. "Somebody, get the saw!" It was too much.

"Leave . . . me . . ." Draco choked out. "ALONE!"

It happened in an instant. There was a sudden surge of power, with the force of a small bomb, exploded throughout the forest. The force was so great that it knocked into the Fierys and they fell into pieces all around the clearing.

"Whoa!" cried one head, trying to look around. "What was that?"

Draco struggled to his feet, prying one Fiery arm off his sleeve as he stood, and then he bolted. He ran as fast as he could from the pieces of the Fierys and out of the forest.

"Hey! Where are you going?"

"The game's not over!"

"Hey, buddy, it's against the rules to blow up on people!"

"Where's the referee?"

"We didn't even get to take your head off yet!"

Draco ignored them. He sprinted through the glittering forest, running pell-mell from the creatures. He'd never run like this in his life. Ever. He ran so fast, he couldn't stop himself before he slammed into something very solid in front of him. A door! He'd found a door in yet another large, stone wall. He pushed on the door with all of his might. It opened for him and he slipped inside and collapsed on the stone ground that awaited him on the other end.

Draco took a few seconds to catch his breath. Then he heard a voice behind him.

"Heh! Don't you look worse for wear?"

Draco sat up and looked around. The door he'd just walked through had a large, doorknocker with an ugly goblin face on it. The ring used to knock the door was sticking out from his ears and the face on it was glaring down at him. Another door with a similar doorknocker, this one with the ring in its mouth, was also glaring at him.

"Who's there?" Draco asked, wondering who had spoken.

"Oo's vere?" said the doorknocker with the ring in its mouth. "Wot a qwechen! _Ear_ eer!" (Trans: Who's there? What a question! _We're_ here!)

"What are you saying?" Draco asked, not unused to things like doorknockers talking. Finally, something familiar.

"What are you saying?" said the first doorknocker.

"That's what I said," snapped Draco.

"Huh?" said the Deaf Doorknocker.

"Ibs duh oose," said the Dumb Doorknocker. "E kan ear oo!" (Trans: It's no use. He can't hear you!)

"What?" asked Draco.

"I _shed_ e kan ear oo!" (Trans: I _said_ he can't hear you!)

"I don't understand a single thing you're saying?" Draco snapped.

"Wot? R _oo_ deef tu?" snapped the Dumb Doorknocker. (Trans: What? Are _you_ deaf too?)

"Oh, forget this," cried Draco, throwing his hands up in surrender and turning his back on the two doors.

"An, wot a bat!" grumbled the Dumb Doorknocker. (Trans: Man, what a brat!)

"Doesn't he know he's going the wrong direction?" said the Deaf Doorknocker, watching him go.

"Ell, dat'll bak dings betta fo da Gobin Kig, ab yeast," said the Dumb Doorknocker. (Trans: Well, that'll make things better for the Goblin King, at least.)

"No good," said the Deaf Doorknocker. "Can't hear you."

The Dumb Doorknocker sighed.

/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/

Draco grumbled and groaned as he made his way through the large hedge maze. Now, _this_ was more what he expected when he thought of a labyrinth, but it didn't make him happy in the slightest. He was tired, he was hungry, he was angry, he was alone, he was lost, he'd been pulled on, he'd been beaten on, he'd been bossed around, and he was sick and tired of it all.

"If I ever see that stupid, lousy, glittering scumbag come anywhere within ten feet of me from now on, I'm gonna take one of those blasted crystals and shove it . . ."

"Well, if it isn't you."

Draco nearly jumped right out of his skin. Leaning casually against one of the hedges only two steps in front of him was none other than Jareth himself. Draco suddenly hoped very much that he hadn't heard his mumblings. In the hours in which they'd been apart, he'd forgotten just how intimidating Jareth really was.

"Are you enjoying yourself?" Jareth asked, politely.

"Enjoying!? This place is hell!" Draco roared. "Do you have any idea what I've been through while trying to make it out of this stupid thing?"

"I can imagine," said Jareth, calmly. His tone was light and calm, but there was an icy edge to his voice that did not bode well for Draco. "So, correct me if I'm wrong, but did I just detect you doing magic in my labyrinth only a moment ago?"

Draco tried to think about what Jareth was talking about. But then he remembered the explosion back in the Fiery's grove. It was only then that it hit him as to what it was. He'd done magic without a wand, the kind he could do before he'd even turned eleven and had started attending school. It was the magic inside him working to save him when he'd been in danger.

Draco grinned boldly at the Goblin King. "That's right," he said, nastily. "Wizards, like me, can perform magic without wands when we're in danger. See? I didn't need my wand. I forgot I still have magic in my blood."

"Indeed," said Jareth, more coldly still. "But don't tell me you've forgotten the very reason I took your wand away."

"Er, um, er . . ."

"We agreed that you were not permitted to use magic to help you run the Labyrinth," said Jareth, his mismatched eyes narrowing. "You said that you could solve it without the aide of your magic abilities, did you not?

"Well, yeah," said Draco, his confidence gone. "Yeah, I said that, but . . ."

"And using the magic in your blood to help you out is clearly a violation against that rule," said Jareth. "Do you know what happens when you break rules, Draco?"

Draco shook his head, but he knew very well what happened when rules were broken.

"The perpetrator must be punished," said Jareth. He stretched out his hand and a clock appeared. Draco gasped. Six of his precious thirteen hours were already lost to him.

"Now then," said Jareth and he pointed at the clock, turning his finger clockwise. At once, the hands on the clock flew around the face, making the time speed up.

"Hey. Hey! WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?" Draco screamed, watching more of his precious time escape him. "STOP! STOP! STOP!"

And stop he did, but only after two more hours of Draco's time had diminished. Now he only had five hours to go.

"In this Labyrinth," said Jareth, turning to look at Draco. "Everything is at my command. Even time is mine to control. And should I detect any more magic coming from you, I'll take even more time away from you. And next time I won't be so kind as to come to you myself and let you know I've taken it away."

"That . . . is . . . you . . . are . . ." Draco was seething. He could hardly speak through his fury and embarrassment.

"Rules are rules, Draco," said Jareth, grinning wolfishly at him. "And must be kept too. Well then, now that that's been cleared up, I'll be on my way," Jareth turned around and walked away, leaving Draco white-faced and furious.

"Oh, and before I forget," said Jareth, turning around. "Do try to be a little nicer to the creatures here, won't you? If you're not careful, they'll not be so kind in return and I would so hate to have to clean up the mess they'll leave behind."

With that Jareth vanished, leaving only his laughter behind.

**Ying-Fa: Tee hee! That was so much fun. I love tormenting Draco. Okay, leave me reviews and tell me what you think.**


	7. To Forget About 'Em

**Ying-Fa: Alrighty, almost done. I wasn't planning**** on making this too long, and it's going to stay that way. There's something else cooking in my brain as it is. So, with that being said, here's the next chapter.**

Draco trumped through the hedges, fuming over Jareth taking his time away. Things were getting particularly bad now. His time was dwindling away and he still had a long way to go. He tried to find his way, but he couldn't make head nor tail of the hedges. He was starting to get desperate.

He had just rounded yet another corner, mumbling glam-rocker insults under his breath when he came across a peculiar sight. A tiny, very old looking goblin with a strange, bird-shaped hat was sitting on a stone chair amidst a clearing in the hedges. He appeared to be sleeping. Not wanting anything more to do with the idiotic creatures that lived here, he tried to get by quietly, before a voice squawked "Whoa, whoa, whoa!"

Draco jumped; the hat was talking to him. It blinked sideways then turned it's beak towards the sleeping goblin. "Wake up, you dried up sack of bones! You've got a client!"

The old man awoke slowly, mumbling slightly then blinked benignly up at Draco. "Oh, a young boy," it said, as if this was the first time he'd ever seen such a thing. "Oh, yes, um, what can I do for you, young man?"

Draco eyed him suspiciously. "Nothing, thanks," he said, coldly. "Not unless you can get me out of this infernal labyrinth in one piece within the next five hours."

"Ah," said the Wise Man, tilting his head to the side. "Oh, yes, um. You want to get to the entrance, eh? Well, that's an unusual request."

"Yeah," agreed Draco. "I've got to solve the thing backwards and now that lousy glitzy, glittery, golden moron took some of my time away."

"Hm, I wonder if he's said that to his face," said the Hat, thoughtfully.

"Be quiet up there," bellowed the Wise Man, glaring up at his hat. "So, young man, if you are to find the way, you must know there is a way to find."

"What?" said Draco, sneering.

"Well, you see, young lad," said the Wise Man. "It isn't always about needing to find something, it is about finding what it is that you need."

"What are you? Dumbledore's distant cousin or something?" snapped Draco. "Oh, forget this! I'm outta here."

"Ah hem!" cried the Hat. "Aren't you forgetting something?"

"Forgetting what?" snapped Draco.

The Wise Man held out a small box and shook it expectantly at Draco. "If that's all you need, please leave a contribution on your way out."

"I'm not giving you anything," Draco snarled.

"It's custom," snapped the Hat.

"Look, I'm not giving you anything just because some loony old idiot spouted nonsense at me," hissed Draco. "And even if I could, I don't have anything to pay you with."

"You'll be sorry," said the Hat, warningly.

"I doubt that," snapped Draco and he turned his back on the Wise Man and his Hat. But, in the next second, the ground collapsed around him and he fell into a hole in the ground. Draco scream of surprise died as the trap door he'd fallen into closed with a snap.

"I warned him," said the Hat, shaking it's head as the Wise Man put his head down again and prepared for another nap.

/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/

Jareth stared through his crystal. "He's in an oubliette," he said and the surrounding goblins burst into laughter. "Quiet," he barked, and they fell silent again. "I've been waiting for this part. The oubliette will likely be the end of him at last."

"But what if he gets out?" asked a goblin.

"Patience," said Jareth, calmly. "I didn't say that it would be the end of his journey through the labyrinth, I said it would be the end of him. Even if he manages to go on, it'll be the end of his resolve. He'll soon give up after this. Whether our other guest likes it or not."

/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/

Draco stared around. He'd fallen into some kind of hole and now everything was dark. He didn't have a clue as to where he was or how he would get out of there.

"Hey!" he called out. "Hey! Somebody help!"

His voice echoed slightly, but other than that there was no reply.

Draco cried out in despair. "OH!" he yelled angrily. "It's all over, isn't it! This is the end! All is over! You win, you pure evil goblin fancy face! I GIVE UP!"

"Pure evil goblin fancy face?" said a voice from within the darkness. "Ha! I hope you haven't said that to his face. He'd toss you into the Bog without a second thought."

Draco searched around through the darkness. "How's there?" he asked, tentatively.

"Me," said the other voice. Suddenly there was a flash of light as a match was lit and a candle flared into life. It illuminated the damp walls and dangling chains of the room and the grubby brown skin, overlarge nose and watery eyes of the dwarf standing before him.

"Who're you?" Draco asked, his voice a bit choked.

"I'm Hoggle," said the dwarf. "Heh, I knew the minute I saw you that you'd get into trouble, so I've decided to lend you a hand."

"There's no point," wailed Draco, curling into a ball and burying his head in his arms. "I can't do it. I can't make it out! I lost my time because I did magic when it was just an accident, I don't have my wand, I'm miles away from home, I've been nearly torn apart, I've been in junkyards, bogs, and all other horrific places and I can't stand it anymore! I give up. I'll just curl up and die in here, thanks."

"Heh," said Hoggle, eyeing Draco and raising one heavy eyebrow. "That's _pretty_ pathetic, but oh well. If you don't wanna go any further, that's up to you. Personally, I'd rather live out whatever's left that I got somewhere a little more pleasant than here."

"Where is here?" Draco asked, looking around at the dark cavern.

"This is an oubliette," Hoggle explained. "The labyrinth is full of them."

"An ouglyet?" said Draco. "What the hell is an ouglyet?"

"_Oubliette,_" Hoggle repeated. "It's a place to put people to forget about 'em."

That fact only made Draco fell worse. He buried his face in his arms again and let out a piteous wail.

"I don't know what you're so upset about," said Hoggle, shrugging. "Most people would give anything to run the Labyrinth backwards. It only gets easier from here on."

"I DON'T NEED . . ." Draco started, but he lost what little energy he had and shrank back in his depression.

"Bah," said Hoggle, waving his hand. "You know your problem? You're way too used to getting your way all the time. You've never had to work for anything before have you?"

"Has anyone ever told you that how badly you suck at comforting people?" Draco snapped. "Why am I even talking to you? Scram! Leave me alone."

Hoggle huffed angrily. "Well, you certainly aren't getting anywhere. Not with that attitude, anyway. Sheesh, you and she are just polar opposites."

"Who are you talking about?" snapped Draco. "Who am I not like?"

"Sarah," said Hoggle, simply.

"Oh no, not _her_ again," Draco growled.

"Well, we can't help it," said Hoggle. "She was the only one to ever beat the Labyrinth, after all."

"What?"

"Are you deaf? I said Sarah's the only one to . . ."

"Do you mean to tell me that THAT GIRL is the one who defeated this place?" Draco said, standing up.

"Yup," said Hoggle. "She sure was. And a lot nicer about it than you are, too. She was clambering for help when she . . ."

Draco wasn't listening at all to Hoggle's talking. How on earth could that girl have gone through this? That didn't make any sense. She had no magic in her. She was bossy and stupid. That just wasn't right, on all accounts. Then, suddenly, a voice popped into his head that sounded very suspiciously like Potter's.

_You're not about to be outshined by a SIMPLE, LITTLE, MUGGLE __**GIRL**__ are you?_

"Let me out!" Draco demanded.

"I beg your pardon," said Hoggle, raising an eyebrow.

"You said you were gonna help me get out of here so HELP ME!" Draco barked, furiously.

"Fine, fine," said Hoggle. "How good to see you've changed your mind." He walked over to the wall of the oubliette and placed a door onto it, opened it, and there was suddenly light on the other side. It was a way out.

"I'd be careful on your way out," said Hoggle as Draco sped past him.

"Yeah, yeah," said Draco. "Thanks for that, Hogsbrain."

"Grr! It's HOGGLE! Come on, it's not that hard to remember . . ."

Draco fled the oubliette and found himself in a kind of underground passageway not unlike the dungeons at Hogwarts. Draco hurried through them, calling out as he ran.

"Hey! Hey, girl!" he called. "Urg, what was her name? I just heard it? Um, Sharon? Shelly? Starla!? Stella? STELLA!?" (A/N: Is Draco channeling Marlon Brando?)

Suddenly, he paused. Far away, Draco could hear a strange, clanking noise. He turned around. Something was shining from the other side of the tunnel he was in. He stared at it and then felt his heart freeze.

A mass of rotating razor and blades was hurtling down the tunnel, heading right for him.

**Ying-Fa: I'm sad. Only two people reviewed last time. Doesn't anybody care about my story anymore? If not, I might not want to write it anymore and just move onto my next story. Well, if you DO care, leave a review. I'll be back soon.**


	8. Swallow All My Pride

**Ying-Fa: HOLY CRAP! I TOTALLY FORGOT ABOUT LUDO! AH, I'M SO SORRY, LUDO-CHAN! Urg, I'm so tired! . . . Okay, a review said that Draco seemed obsessed with Harry. I'm putting a stop to that at once. I HATE THAT PAIRING AND WILL NEVER, EVER SUPPORT IT! Draco's just got him on his mind because that's who Sarah reminds him of. Oh well, here's the next chapter.**

Draco hardly knew what was going on anymore. His brain had gone into panic mode and seemed to be moving on its own accord. His legs were running pell-mell along the dark, winding underground passages while the rotating, razor machine clanked behind him threateningly. There was a high-pitched, girly sounding scream echoing in his ears and he had no idea where it was coming from.

The passages seemed to go on and on, with nowhere to escape the death machine behind him. He was starting to panic; he was going to get cut to ribbons if he didn't escape this machine soon. His legs were screaming in protest from the constant running and his throat hurt for some reason.

At long last, the inevitable happened. He tripped. He fell spectacularly, landing smack on his face. It was over, totally and completely over. There was nowhere to go and no way to escape. The silver knives of the machine were flashing at him as they got closer and closer. He'd been right. He was going to die in this horrible, forsaken world.

Moments before he could black out, a pair of hands seized him and pulled him mightily to the left, away from the machines and through a narrow gap in the wall. The girly screaming still ringing in his ears, Draco wrapped his arms around his savior and stared out as the razors passed by him. He saw that several goblins were behind them pushing down on peddles to make them move.

The girly screams suddenly became weaker and it was then that Draco realized that they were coming from him. He stopped screaming and started gasping from breath still staring after the machines in terror. Then, a slightly muffled voice spoke right next to his ear.

"Um, look, not that I don't appreciate the gesture, but you're kind of smothering me."

Draco turned his head and round and found himself almost nose-to-nose with none other than Sarah. He also realized that it was, indeed, she whom he was holding onto so tightly. With a cry of disgust, Draco flung himself off of her, shivering in distain.

Sarah let out a breath of relief as Draco released her, stood up, and started patting off her blouse. "Are you okay?" she asked, looking over at him.

Draco gaped at her. "I've just been chased down by a swarm of spinning razors," he said. "DO YOU BLOODY THINK I'M OKAY?!"

Sarah scowled. "Sorry I asked," she said, coolly. "Well, I'll see you later than," and with that, she turned and started to walk off.

It was then that Draco suddenly remembered. "Wait!" he called out. "Wait! Wait! Wait, wait, wait!"

Sarah stopped and turned around, looking a little puzzled. Draco opened his mouth to speak, but then closed it automatically. He opened it again, closed it, then turned away.

". . . in another world," he mumbled, so Sarah could hardly hear him. "Nobody I know or talk to on a regular basis is here. Nobody has to know. I'm only gonna do it once and that's it. I'm not gonna tell anybody. I've gotta get home. I can't stay here forever, I just can't do it. I will not do it."

Sarah blinked curiously at him. Draco began chewing his lips and writhing wildly on the spot as if some terrible creature was inside him and trying to burst out. Sarah raised an eyebrow and put her hands on her hips.

"Did you need me for something?" she asked, impatiently.

"YES!" Draco shouted at last. "Yes," he mumbled, more quietly.

"Well, what is it?" she said.

Draco started to choke on his words again. "I . . . think," he said, grinding his teeth together. "I . . . need . . . your . . . _help_." This last word came out as a kind of mixture of a hiss and a growl.

Sarah eyed him crossly. "I thought you said you didn't need my help," she said, stubbornly. "And you were very rude about it."

"I . . . know," said Draco, now going pink in the face from the effort of saying what he was saying. "And . . . I'm s. . . I'm s . . . _I'm sssssssssssss_ . . ."

"Sorry," Sarah prompted.

"THAT'S THE ONE," Draco shouted in exasperation. "Yeah, yeah, that word."

Sarah folded her arms around her chest. "Well, why should I help you? You made it clear that you didn't want my help and it is pretty obvious that you still don't want it."

"Okay, look!" Draco cried, now beyond reason. "I can't stay here forever! I JUST CAN'T! I've GOT to get home! I can't stay here in this mad house! That psychotic, sparkling, sadist with the tight breeches stole my time away and now I've only got a couple hours left! That wrinkled old dwarf thing said that you knew the way out so . . ."

"You've met Hoggle?" said Sarah, looking surprised. But then she frowned. "I take it you weren't very nice to him, either."

"Why do I have to be nice to that old thing?" snapped Draco.

"Because, you fool, Hoggle knows a shortcut out of the whole Labyrinth," said Sarah. "Maybe if you'd have been a little politer, he would have shown you the way."

Well, if that just wasn't a total drop kick to the balls. Draco gaped at Sarah, his face white and his mouth slack. He'd had the key to getting out of the Labyrinth at his liberty and he'd tossed it aside. Sarah huffed and scowled at him.

"Well, it serves you right," said Sarah. "It seems to me that pride is what's holding you back here. Now, lucky for you, I'm not a mean person. I know very well you don't want to stay here for the rest of your life and I'm pretty sure nobody here wants you to stay either. You're too annoying. Now, maybe if you asked me again, politely and considerately, I'll help you the rest of the way. However, if you're rude to me again, I will leave you and I'm not going to lift another finger to help you again."

Draco's face had gotten very pink indeed while Sarah talked. "Okay then," he said. "Shannon . . ."

"Sarah!" Sarah said, with an angry huff.

"Sarah! Sarah! Sarah!" Draco corrected himself quickly. He took a deep breath, his face scrunched up in a grimace one might expect from someone heading for their own death, he spoke in a voice that sounded like every word caused him pain, "Sarah . . . will . . . you . . . _p-please_ . . . help . . . me . . . find . . . the . . . way . . . out . . . of . . . the . . . _Labyrinth_?"

Sarah raised her eyebrow again and tapped her chin, apparently thinking it over.

"COME ON, PLEASE!" Draco wailed. "I ONLY HAVE A LITTLE TIME LEFT!"

Sarah glanced at him, and then nodded. "Okay, that's probably the best I'm gonna get. I'll help you."

Draco let out a wail of relief and sank to his knees, sobbing with gratitude for the slack he'd been cut.

"Well, come on," said Sarah, pointing down the tunnel. "We need to go this way."

Draco nodded, got up and followed her obediently, his pride wounded and his eyes wet.

Sarah guided him through the tunnels. They soon passed several stone faces that watched them and spoke in loud voices.

"KEEP GOING!"

"THIS IS THE RIGHT PATH!"

"MOVE ON! MOVE ON!"

"GO ONWARD AND DON'T LOOK BACK!"

"YES, THIS IS THE CORRECT WAY!"

"What are those?" Draco asked, sneering at the walls. "Complementary walls or something?"

"Actually, those are False Alarms," Sarah told him. "They say different things when you're heading towards the castle. Since the objective is usually to get to the center, but since we're going backwards, away from the castle, they're encouraging us."

"Barking," scoffed Draco. "Howling mad, this whole place."

"You said the Goblin King took your time away," said Sarah, conversationally. "How come?"

"Because I used magic to keep myself from being drawn and quartered," said Draco, bitterly.

"Oh, that must have been the Fierys," said Sarah, fondly. "Yeah, their sense of humor is a little . . . warped."

"What about you?" said Draco. "Why are you here, anyway? If you finished this thing, why are you back?"

"I'm making a visit," said Sarah. "Unlike you, I've actually made friends here and like to see them every now and again."

"You want to come _here_?" Draco snarled in disbelief, but he bit back the retort that occurred to him, remembering what she'd said about him being rude to her.

Before too long, the two of them came across a curious sight. A large door stood before them and, guarding the door, there stood two wooden shields, the right one was red and the left was blue, on spindly little legs.

**Ying-Fa: Okay, this had more to it, but I didn't like where it was going. So, I thought I'd post what I had and add the rest into the next chapter. Not far now. Okay, please review and I'll be back as soon as I get some rest.**


	9. Tick, Tock, Goes The Clock

**Ying-Fa: Okay, okay, here's the next chapter before I put it off any further. Sheesh.**

The goblins stared eagerly over the King's shoulder, looking at the two travelers.

"Hey, hey, boss!" one of them cried. "It's that girl again! What are you gonna . . . hey, you okay boss?"

Jareth wasn't looking at the crystal. He had his face in his hand and was shaking his head slowly.

"Your Highness? What's . . ."

"And after I've been so LENIANT!" Jareth roared, throwing the crystal away and it shattered against the wall. The goblins jumped in surprise.

Jareth looked around at the clock. It was twelve o' clock. Draco was in his final hour. Jareth scowled and stood up from his throne.

"That's it," he said, harshly. "I'm putting an end to this once and for all."

And with that, he stormed out of the castle.

/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/

Draco and Sarah stared at the large door before them and the two wooden shields. Sarah let out a small sound of surprise.

"Oh, no," she said, quietly.

All of a sudden, each shield had two heads pop out from behind them. One head was upright from the top, and one head upside down coming from the bottom. They were shaped like dogs and were laughing jovially at them.

"Well, well," said the top head behind the red shield. "Look at what we've got here, Alph."

"Why, Ralph," said the top head on the blue shield. "I do believe I see a pair of wonderers trying to get through the door."

"What are you guys doing here?" Sarah asked. "Why aren't you guarding the two doors from before?"

"Well the rules have changed, haven't they?" said Ralph's bottom head. They all laughed. "So, we've changed too."

"What do those things do?" asked Draco, eyeing them, apprehensively.

"The quickest way to the exit of the Labyrinth is through this door," said Alph's bottom head. "But you can't get through if you don't get the password right."

"There's a password?" said Sarah, curiously.

"That's right," said Bottom Ralph. "It's the correct answer to our riddle. Answer correctly on your first try, you go through the door. Answer incorrectly and you shall be lead to . . ."

"Bum, bum, bum, BUM!"

"Certain death," said all four heads together. "_Ooooooo._"

Draco stared at Sarah in disbelief. "Tell me you remember what the password was from the last time you were here," he said.

Sarah shook her head. "This is different from the last time I was here. Well, I guess the rules have changed. Okay, what's the riddle?" she asked Ralph and Alph.

"The riddle is," said Top Ralph. "When the snow melts . . ."

" . . . what does it become?" finished Top Alph.

Draco let out a laugh. "Really? That's it? Ha! That's too easy."

"I don't think so," said Sarah, warningly.

"Everybody knows when snow melts it turns into water," said Draco, as if explaining this to a particularly slow and stubborn child.

"Is that your final answer?" asked Bottom Alph while the other heads laughed.

"No!" said Sarah. "No, it isn't." she turned back to Draco and scowled at him. "Things aren't always what they seem in this place. You need to learn that, you can't just go by the obvious. There is more to this riddle and unless you want to go face-to-face with certain death, you'll let me handle this."

Draco sneered at her. "Oh, yeah? You think you're smarter than me? Is that it, Muggle?"

"At the moment, yes," snapped Sarah. She turned back to the guards, thinking hard. "When the snow melts, what does it become? Hm. Oh. Um."

Draco couldn't believe she was being so naïve about this. The answer was perfectly obvious and he was really starting to regret coming to this stupid girl for help. He'd have been better off on his own.

"Snow," she said, softly. "Um. Let's see. Well, snow comes in winter. So . . . so . . ." Sarah's eyes suddenly brightened. "When the snow melts, it becomes spring!"

"Oh," said the four heads. They then dropped behind their shields and began to murmur to one another. After a second, they all popped back out at once.

"Right answer!" they all chanted. They stepped aside and the door opened.

"Huh?" said Draco, thoroughly confused. "What? How . . . ?"

Sarah smiled and beckoned him forward. "Shall we?"

Draco scowled and stepped through the door with her. "I could have figured that out," he muttered.

"Sure you could have," said Sarah, rolling her eyes.

"Yeah, I could have," snapped Draco. "Stupid Labyrinth can't outsmart me. This place is a piece of cake."

"AAH!"

Draco spun around. The ground had opened up from underneath Sarah's feet like a trapdoor. In a flash, she was gone and the floor closed behind her as quickly as it had disappeared.

"No!" cried Draco, staring at the spot where she disappeared. "No! Not now!" Draco swore loudly and raised his eyes to the sky. "Alright, that's it. You don't want me to have any help? Fine! I'll beat this stupid thing all on my own, you lousy, cheating, King of Scum! AND NEXT TIME, I'LL SAY IT TO YOUR FACE!"

Draco ran through the stone corridors. The passages turned and twisted, leading this way and that. He ran into dead ends and solid stone in all directions so he had no idea where he was going. Draco ran as he tried to find his way out. Every time his feet hit the ground the resulting sound reminded him of the hands of a clock.

_Tick, tock. Tick, tock. Tick, tock._

He was running out of time. He had to find the way out soon. He would be stuck here forever if he didn't hurry up.

_Tick tock, tick tock, tick tock, goes the clock._

Draco found himself facing his fifteenth dead end and he cursed loudly. He turned to go back the way he came, but there was a slight problem. Instead of the passage out, there was yet another solid wall. He was boxed in completely.

At this point, Draco started using the kind of dialogue that would not be appropriate for a K+ rated fic, so therefore, we shall simply replace a word that he uses quite a lot and replace it with the word 'kitten'.

"I'VE HAD ENOUGH OF THIS "kitten" PLACE! IF I GET OUT OF HERE THAT "kitten" "kitten" GOYLE WILL GET HIS HEAD SHOVED UP HIS OWN "kitten" "donkey"! "KITTEN!"

It was just at that moment, one of the stones in the floor opened up like a trapdoor and a tiny, little goblin stepped out. Draco stopped and watched it as it looked up at him and shook its head.

"Lousyguy'sshoutenuppastorman'wakin'upthewholelabyrinth," it muttered. It walked over to the stone wall and opened another door and stepped through. "Don'tswantsmykids'earingwordslike "kitten"."

Draco blinked as the creature disappeared through the wall. "Hey," he mumbled to himself, and then he started to search around the wall. Before long, he found what he was looking for. One of the bricks pulled forward and a tiny door just big enough for him to squeeze through opened up. Draco slid into the tiny passage, immediately feeling uncomfortable and horribly boxed in.

_What a time to get claustrophobia,_ he thought savagely. He crawled through the passage, sliding on his belly like a snake and hurried along it. After what felt like an eternity, he saw a small, square of light appear. He crawled faster and the square of light grew bigger and bigger. Finally, he slipped out of the tunnel, headfirst.

He gasped and filled his lungs with fresh air. "Well," he said, slightly dazed from the sudden rush of air. "I'm never doing that again." Draco looked around. Now he was in one passageway that stretched out, going left to right. Or was it right to left? Hm, that's a hard one.

Draco stood up and patted of his ruined clothes. "Okay," he said, looking down both ends of the passage. "Now, which way?"

Throwing caution to the winds, he turned right and sprinted down the way. He ran, faster and faster, his feet still making those horrible sounds as he walked.

_Tick, tock. Tick, tock. Tick, tock._

**Ying-Fa: Yay! Only one more chapter to go! Alright, stick with me until the end, okay guys! The end is in sight!**


	10. Only One

**Ying-Fa: Last chapter! Can I get a whoot whoot? Halla! Halla! Yay, and now, the grand finale. . . . Or, not. Your choice, of course. Your choice.**

Draco had no idea how long he'd been running. He looked for anything, another turn or corner or passage, yet nothing came. He was so close to the end, he could taste it, but there was nothing in sight.

He slumped against one of the glittering stone walls, and then stopped to catch his breath. How long was this? How much time did he have left? He was starting to get worried.

"Come on," he gasped. "Not much further. I'm almost there. I'm almost home free."

He jogged forward, but the passage didn't change. It stretched on and on, going forever and ever. He kept going, but still nothing changed.

He had to keep reminding himself that he wasn't much further, but how on earth was he supposed to know when he was going absolutely nowhere.

Finally, he was done. He fell to his knees, screaming more dialogue that is not suitable to be said in this story and pounded his fists on the ground, crying out in misery.

"I give up," he wailed. "I give up! I give up! I can't take this much longer. I can't stand it anymore. It's too much! I'll never get out of here! Never!"

"Hello."

Draco turned and looked around. A small, blue worm with a red scarf tied around its neck was blinking benignly at him. Draco sniffed and rubbed his eyes furiously, angry that his breakdown had had an audience.

"What are you supposed to be?" he snarled at it. "Some kind of talking flubberworm or something?"

"Who me?" said the worm, looking surprised. "No, I'm just your regular old worm."

"That so?" said Draco, miserably. He didn't feel like getting into a fight with anything right now.

"Come inside and meet the missus," said the worm, gesturing to a hole in the wall next to him.

Draco let out a long breath through his lips, making an exasperated, raspberry sound. "Oh, what the hell! I might as well. I'm gonna be stuck here forever. Might as well get to know the local worms, shouldn't I?"

"Stuck here forever?" said the worm. "Oh ho, ho! What makes you say that?"

"I was supposed to run the Labyrinth backwards and win my freedom," said Draco, miserably. "I've tried and tried and I can't do it. I've been beaten into submission and now it's all over. I can't go any further. I can't find the exit."

"Well, sounds like you ain't lookin' right," said the worm. "The way out isn't that far from here, it's just that you aren't lookin' the way you should be."

"What's that supposed to mean?" said Draco, angrily.

"Things aren't always what they seem in this place," said the worm. "You started from the castle, yes? Well, think it over what have you learned while you were here."

"All I've learned is that this place is easily the most horrible place I'd ever set foot in," said Draco, grumpily.

"Sounds like you haven't been paying proper attention," said the worm. "Why don't you come inside and have a nice cup of tea?"

Draco scowled. "No thanks," he said. "Well, I'll just keep trudging on to my doom, alright?"

"Well," said the worm. "Things are not always what they seem in this place, so you'd better not take anything for granted."

"Whatever," said Draco. "You miserable, slimy ringworm," he added in an undertone.

"Have you asked?" said the worm.

"Asked what?" snapped Draco.

"It's amazing the things you can accomplish in this world by simply asking politely," said the worm. "Maybe you should try being a little more polite."

"Fine," said Draco, now so dispirited that he was willing to try anything. "May you please show me the way out of the Labyrinth?"

"Oh ho, ho!" said the worm. "There now, see? That wasn't so hard, now was it? You get out through there."

Draco turned around. A large, double door appeared out of nowhere right behind him. They swung open and low and behold there were no more walls or stone floors out there.

"It can't . . ." said Draco, hardly daring to believe. He got up, stepped through, and realized what had happened.

"I'M OUT!" he cried to the heavens. "I'M FREE! I'M FREE! I'M OUT OF THE BLEEDING LABYRINTH! HA, HA, HA, HA, HA!"

Overcome with joy, he fell to his knees, kissing the ground, blessing it for being there. But he quickly regretted this and spat out the dirt that had gotten in his mouth. Then a voice spoke from behind him.

"Heh, you actually managed to get out. Not bad."

Draco turned around. It was Sarah. She was standing behind him, looking a little surprised to see him. Draco got on his feet and looked her in the eye.

"You'd better believe I got out," said Draco. "Now that stinking, scummy, losery, showy, glitter-face, Moron King is gonna have to give back my wand and send me home!"

"Wand?" said Sarah, curiously. "Oh, do you mean this thing?" She reached into her pocket and pulled out Draco's wand.

"Wha? How? How did you get that?" Draco snapped, snatching it out of her hands.

"Oh, I found it in the Junkyard when I went to help you," said Sarah, simply. "I didn't really know what it was and I was pretty sure it didn't belong there, so I thought I'd hold on to it until I figured out where it went."

Draco gaped at her. "You mean you've been holding on to my wand _this whole time?!_"

"Yeah," said Sarah with a shrug.

Draco cursed and fell to the ground again, but straightened up once more. "Well, it's no problem, I'm out. I've got my wand back and before I go back I'm gonna have a quick go at that . . ."

"Um, Draco?" said Sarah, uncertainly.

". . . ugly, stupid, stinking . . ."

"Draco?"

". . . glam-crazy, fashion confused . . ."

"Draco, I'd . . ."

". . . moronic, idiotic . . ."

"Draco!"

". . . puffy-haired, retarded King!"

Wham!

Before he even knew what happened, Draco was out cold. Sarah gasped as he fell and then sighed. "I told you not to say anything to his face," she told Draco's unconscious form.

"I don't think he can hear you, Sarah," said Jareth, calmly. "Good work," he said to the two goblins at his heels, one of them holding the mallet responsible for Draco's current condition. "Well, you know what to do."

"Right boss," said the goblins, taking hold of Draco's ankles and dragging him away.

"Where are they taking him?" Sarah asked.

"Where?" said Jareth, looking surprised. "They're taking him back to his own world, of course."

Sarah stared at him. "You're really gonna let him go?"

"Certainly," said Jareth. "I couldn't keep him here if I wanted to."

"You can't?" said Sarah.

"Firstly," said Jareth. "The boy is an unbelievably selfish and stubborn brat and I don't want to have to deal with him anymore than I have to. Secondly, Fate would not have permitted me to keep him here."

"Why not?" Sarah asked.

"He has a destiny to fulfill in his home world," said Jareth, seriously. "If I kept him here, his role would go unfulfilled and I would be the one cursed for it."

"Let me get this straight," said Sarah, crossly. "You mean to tell me that you could have sent him home at anytime and you didn't?"

"That about sums it up," said Jareth, grinning nastily.

Sarah folded her arms and scowled at him. "I thought you said that you wouldn't do things like this anymore," she said. "You promised me you'd clean up your act."

Jareth laughed at Sarah's crossness. "But, my dear girl, this _is_ my act being cleaned up. Don't tell me you couldn't tell that boy needed to learn some very important lessons that only the Labyrinth could teach him. If anything, I was helping him."

"A likely story," said Sarah, hotly. "Don't tell me you didn't love torturing him like that."

"It can't be helped," said Jareth, stepping closer to her and stroking her cheek with his finger. "I've just been so bored without you."

Sarah didn't step away or refuse his touch. Indeed, she smiled and leaned into his gloved hand. "Don't start that," said Sarah. "You promised you'd be patient. You said you'd wait."

"Of course I did," said Jareth, taking a strand of Sarah's hair into his hand and playing with it idly. "But is it against my oath to simply miss my bride-to-be?"

"I guess not," said Sarah, blushing a bit. "I'm glad I came back. I missed my friends and I missed you. When I found you, there was no way I could just stay in my own world when I'd found this place. But, seriously, what kind of queen would I be if I haven't even finished high school yet?"

"Yes, yes," said Jareth, stepping even closer to her and putting his arms around her.

Sarah smiled up at him. "I'm still kind of surprised at you," she said. "I can't believe you let him beat your Labyrinth. I guess that makes the total of people who made it through up to two, right."

Jareth grinned again. "Guess again, my sweet," and he pointed to a clock that had appeared out of nowhere.

13:41.

Sarah gaped at the clock, but then began to laugh as Jareth leaned down to capture her lips with his.

/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/

"Draco! Oi! Draco!"

Draco groggily opened his eyes. He was lying on the floor of his parent's library. Crabbe and Goyle where standing over him, looking worried.

"Are you ok- . . .?" Goyle began, but before he could finish, Draco wrapped his hands around Goyle's throat and squeezed with all his might.

"GOYLE!" he screamed. "YOU . . . GOYLE, YOU . . . YOU . . ."

"Draco stop!" cried Crabbe. "You'll throttle him."

"WHAT DO YOU THINK I'M TRYING TO DO?!" Draco yelled.

"Hang on," said Crabbe. "Just how hard did you hit your head? Have you lost your brain completely?"

"IT'S 'LOST YOUR MIND' YOU STUPID . . ." Draco stopped suddenly. "What do you mean?"

"We were talking," said Crabbe. "You were having a go at Goyle for failing his O.W.L.s and then he said somethin' smart back and you got up to hit him, I expect, but you tripped, hit your head on the coffee table and you went all asleep. We only just managed to wake you up."

"I was asleep?" said Draco. "But I was gone . . . for thirteen hours . . . I ran through a whole big maze . . . full of these goblins and . . ."

"Uh, Draco? Goyle's turning blue."

". . . and there was this lousy Muggle girl telling me what to do . . ."

"Um, he's gone all green, Draco."

". . . and this King guy who dresses like an 80's glam star . . ."

"Now he's purple!"

"So it was all a dream?" said Draco. He let go of Goyle's throat at last to scratch his head, thoughtfully. "But, it was so real."

"I think you'd better go lie down," said Crabbe, helping Goyle breathe again.

"Yeah," said Draco, leaving the library and wandering to his room. It had all been a dream? Draco looked down at his clothes. They were as good as new. He looked fine too, except for a throbbing headache when he suspected was the result of his tripping and landing on the coffee table.

Draco reached his room and collapsed on his bed. What a horrible dream it had been, indeed! All he knew was that he never, ever, ever wanted to see that place again. Ever.

As Draco put his head down on his pillow, he heard something under it crinkle. Curious, he reached under his pillow and pulled out a piece of paper. He smoothed it out and read what was written upon it. The words made his entire body freeze in terror.

_You may have escaped this time, my good fellow, but just remember . . . I'll be watching you._

_J._

**Ying-Fa: Yay! All finished! Man that was fun. But I had to hurry up because I've got something else in the works. Now, I know I said I probably wouldn't do it but . . . I JUST CAN'T HELP IT ANY LONGER! Indeed, my friends, coming soon to a Fanfiction page near you is the sequel to ****Please Come Home!**** It is titled ****Return to Me**** and will be coming soon. I hope to see you all there. If you haven't read the first one yet, I hope you will take the time to see it. It's probably my best work. I hope that I'll see you all there.**

**I feel so grateful! Thank You:**

**Ying and Yang twins, Kore-of-Myth, shadowxwolf, AmericanWoman, Olaf 74, Margravine Green, notwritten, demented cookies, FireShifter, amurr, Killingmemory, CoffeeKris, Kneise, llohur, myladyswardrobe, FireChildSlytherin5, idfcv, jrkgirlrox, and everyone who added this story or me to their Favorites or Alerts list. This has been Ying-Fa-Dono. Goodnight and good luck!**


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